Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine,answers questions about the successful prosecution of two juveniles in a rape case during a news conference Sunday. Special rosecutors Brian Deckert and Marianne Hemmeter joined DeWine. Today DeWine announced a plan to better fund rape crisis centers in Ohio.AP photo/Michael D. McElwain, pool

Updated 5:10 p.m.

CLEVELAND, Oh --

Attorney General Mike DeWine announced Wednesday an effort to make comprehensive sexual assault response services available to victims in all 88 Ohio counties in the next five years.

In addition, two lawmakers proposed a bill that would allow the state to collect a $100 fee from people ordered to register as sex offenders to create a trust fund to pay for the expanded services.

It's unclear how much the fee would raise annually or how the payments for new registrants would be enforced. There are currently just over 18,000 registered sex offenders.

Republicans Rep. Nan Baker, of Westlake, and Rep. Kirk Schuring, of Canton, said they would also ask for $2 million in thestate budget forseed money to begin the project.

Last year, similar efforts to create a trust fund fueled by sex crimes-related court costs faded after disagreements arose over how to raise the money and whether the amount would be enough to make a difference.

During the four-day trial, teen witnesses, including the victim, testified that they did not know digital penetration was rape. Instead, they equated the crime with only forced sexual intercourse. Many also were unclear about a person's ability to consent to sex after drinking.

Before the case got attention, that area had only one part-time sexual assault victim advocate. It receives less-then $15,000 a year in funding. At one point the schools had a program that taught sexual assault prevention but was discontinued after a grant ended.

Sandra Lyons, the victim advocate for the Sexual Assault Help Center, which serves Steubenville the case demonstrated the importance of funding programs and the need for prevention education there and throughout Ohio. "Healing for survivors depends on being able to access rape crisis services. Educating students about sexual violence depends on funding to provide prevention education in our schools and communities," said Lyons, who attended the trial last week.

DeWine's plan for expansion zeros in crisis services needed in the direct aftermath of an attack and hinges on using federal grant money to hire regional coordinators in the areas where the few or no services exist, mostly in rural and Appalachian counties.

Coordinators would work with hospitals and mental health agencies to train their staff and volunteers to work with sex assault victims, he said. The five-year timeline could move more rapidly if more money is put toward the project, he said.

In addition, DeWine said he would begin a process to allow more flexibility in existing state victim assistance funds to do more prevention work.

"The prevention side is very, very important," he said.

Centers that already exist have expanded services in recent years, despite shrinking budgets. At the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center (CRCC) most of the services are paid for with donations from individuals, corporations and private foundations.

The center receives only about $12,000 a year from a state victim's assistance fund and no money from the Cleveland or Cuyahoga County pay for serving more than 20,000 people a year.

"Today was a step toward setting a new standard. It is really important for our state that we are beginning to look at systemic funding issues," said Megan O'Bryan, President & CEO of CRCC, which serves Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties.

O'Bryan said people should also keep in mind that the need for rape crisis services doesn't always come in the immediate aftermath of an assault.

The majority of clients who call the center are in need of therapeutic and healing programs to deal with decades-old wounds."So we need to ask 'What do we mean by comprehensive,'" O'Bryan said.She also said population should be considered when doling out any funds that could come from any trust fund.

Prevention also has tremendous results locally, she said.

"If they had been through programs like ours, Steubenville kids would have known that what they saw was rape."

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